This is the definitive biography of George Cardinal Pell

Ignatius Press publishes insightful biography of one of the most consequential Catholic Church leaders of our time

SAN FRANCISCO – While pieces of the life George Cardinal Pell of Australia have been told, including in his own words in his “Prison Journal” series, published by Ignatius Press, no definitive biography has been published about the late Cardinal until now. GEORGE CARDINAL PELL: PAX INVICTIS (Ignatius Press), by Tess Livingstone, chronicles his extraordinary life of founding Catholic universities, facing off against the Vatican old guard, and spending 404 days in solitary confinement for crimes he did not commit.

Livingstone is a veteran Australian journalist who has written on politics, economics, strategic policy and the culture wars. She has written editorials for The Australian and The Weekend Australian since 2007 and was formerly chief-of-staff, op-ed editor and education editor for The Courier Mail.

GEORGE CARDINAL PELL: PAX INVICTIS traces Cardinal George Pell’s life from his childhood in Australia to his role as the Vatican treasurer; through his trials, unjust imprisonment and exoneration to his untimely passing away on Jan. 10, 2023. The book is honest, direct and does not shy away from any of the controversies that dogged the Cardinal or those he was specifically picked to confront.

In GEORGE CARDINAL PELL: PAX INVICTIS, readers will learn about how the Cardinal rebuilt Church precincts in Melbourne and Sydney, revitalized seminary formation, founded Catholic universities, led Australia’s main Catholic foreign aid agency, and headed World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney. GEORGE CARDINAL PELL: PAX INVICTIS includes snippets of some of the best of his scholarly writings and lectures, and captures his ideas, wit, and personality.

“My friend, George Pell, was a giant — on the football field as a young man, as a priest and bishop humbly serving the flock in his native Australia, as an intellect unafraid of the rough-and-tumble give-and-take when discussing ideas and beliefs, and as a cardinal on the world stage,” said Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York. “My thanks to Tess Livingstone for this engaging biography, which captures the fact that, most of all, George Pell was a giant in his love of Jesus and His Church, whom he served with vigor and courage every day of his extraordinary life.”

For more information, to request a media review copy, or to schedule an interview with Tess Livingstone, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or [email protected]) of Carmel Communications.   

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